Oia vs Imerovigli
 

Just finished searching through a bunch of lodging options for Santorini, and still confused.

I've read over and over that Oia is the place to stay. Close to restaurants and shops. However, it is more expensive, I am finding, and it seems like Imerovigli has better views. Is this right?

I am worried about being stranded out in the boonies. I've also read that it is difficult and dangerous to drive in Greece. How would we get to Fira or Oia if we stayed here?

What I've narrowed it down to is this:

In Oia:

Chelidona - Studio or Villa
Esperas - Can afford only a Studio
Delfini - Studio, Apartment, Cave House or Honeymoon Cave (this looks very basic, and is probably why it is so much cheaper)
Nostos - Don't even know if we can afford this place, as the web site has no rates (I find this annoying).

In Imerovigli:

Iliovasilema - This place looks great - Studio or Apartment
Afroessa - Superior Studio or Apartment
Anastasis - Apartment, Superior Apartment, or Jr. Suite

We need to keep it under 200E.

Where we stay is really important to us. We don't need pampering. We usually rent an apartment when we go to Europe. But the atmosphere, cleanliness, view and terrace are most important to us here, Especially the view and terrace. The bigger the better.

I want to be careful trading off a smaller room - i.e., Esperas Studio vs. other larger apartment - just to be in a nicer place.

I guess I want it all!!

We want a nice, peaceful, quiet place. We don't care about bars and that sort of thing.

Where would we get the most bang for our buck, and would we regret staying in Imerovigli?

Oia has plenty of shops, galleries, restaurants and hotels to choose from and to keep you occupied. Imerovigli is very quiet. Although Oia is not central to the island it's by far the most beautiful village and has the most timeless ambience.

The island has an excellent bus system, and you can also rent cars and scooters or take taxis. The bus between Fira and Oia passes right by Imerovigli about once every hour.

I suggest you take a different approach to finding the right hotel. Start by first deciding on the village, then set your daily room budget, then contact the hotels that interest you and make a final list of those you can afford. Once you've done that go to www.tripadvisor.com to look at the reviews posted there. This will eliminate those you're not sure of and help you focus on those that meet your requirements.

Your list so far is good as far as it goes but when you'll be there will partially determine what prices will be like. Prices will be low in May so you should be able to find something that will satisfy you. I believe Nostos' rooms start at around 170 euro in May. Don't expect the price to reflect the quality, it just doesn't work that way. Delfini is an excellent choice in spite of the lower price. Truthfully, I know of no accomodations in Oia that are absolutely not worth considering. Some are more luxurious, some obviously more expensive, some are basic, some don't have a view, but whichever one you finally choose, you will not regret staying in Oia, or anywhere on Santorini for that matter.

Understand that most hotels in Oia only have a caldera view. Esperas is one of the few that has both sunset and caldera view. Chelidonia is very centrally located just below the village square. Esperas is on the northern tip of Oia facing west. Delfini is on the other side of the village on the pedestrian pathway, but still central.

If you want peace and quiet, stay in Imerovigli. I really doubt you will regret it.

I can't say that Imerovigli has "better" views. It's a little higher up than Oia, but the caldera is just as spectacular from either location imho.

I personally enjoyed staying in Oia because I liked having lots of dining options within a 10-minute walk, but I'd never say it's the only place to stay. If I was with a romantic partner, I think Imerovigli could be very appealing. (And if I were 10 years younger, I would have found either of them too boring and would have preferred the action in Fira.)

Wanderer, have you ever looked at Firostephani ... out of the hurlyburly of Fira, but some lovely views, and you can actually Walk to fira. Brotherlee would know which are the upscale places.

Is this trip for next May?

Keep in mind that the hotels will likely raise their prices in January, some of them by a good bit. So don't go on what the websites say for 2007 as the price you will pay next May.

BL (and others)

I think that is a good approach (choose village first).

How do I find out more about the villages?

It appears (and I could be wrong) that all the hotels in Imerovigli have both a caldera and sunset view. Is that right?

Would also like to know, of the list I've posted, how these rate in terms of view, quality, and location within their respective village.

I meant to say in my earlier post that I like the looks of Afroessa. I've looked at too many hotels!

Not all hotels in Imerovigli have a sunset view. Many are located in such a way as to have the view west blocked either by another hotel or by the big Skaros Rock. It really just depends.

Rating hotel quality is difficult, it's too subjective an opinion. I for one haven't inspected the hotels in Imerovigli recently so I can't comment.

Of the 4 you've listed in Oia they're all similar in quality as far as decor is concerned. Esperas' view is the best since it takes in the sunset AND the caldera. None have a bad location.

There are no bad views of the caldera, just differing degrees of wonderful.

BL -
Do you know of any websites where we can get pictures of/learn about Oia and Imerovigli?

It is hard for us to imagine the differences.

Perhaps it is like Capri/Anacapri?

We loved Capri. We stayed within walking distance of the center but on a quiet side street. Although Anacapri had spectacular views, we would not have been happy there. Not enough going on. Too far from restaurants, too hard for transit to Capri town.

I'm thinking Oia is a better fit.

It appears Chelidonia and Delfini are the 2 places within our budget. I like what I read about Delfini.

We stayed in Oia ( at Andronis Suites, NOT a budget choice) a few weeks ago and we took the bus to Anastasis to check it out. I had wanted to stay there originally but they book up very quickly and they had no room for us.

We had a car on Santorini but we took the bus as we intended on joining the cliff walk that runs right past Anastasis and hoofing it back to Oia. The bus does not run very often and it was packed by the time it got to Oia from Fira.

When we arrived we were given a nice cold glass of water and Despina, the owner, took us on a tour of the premises. We thought the place was really lovely, very clean and the view was spectacular. We loved it. We saw the White suite and Anastasis Suite, both were fantastic. It really is quiet though compared to Oia, and a lot of the customers probably want it that way. I think 8 of the 10 or 12 rooms were occupied by honeymooners.

I have to say, for charm, ease, and convenience Oia is likely to be the better choice unless you just got married or really want to be away from it all.

By the way, we may have hit a warm spell but it was 88-90 degrees the days we were there, May 25-29, not cool weather at all!

You can get thousands of images of Santorini using Google's "Image" function.

I don't know of a website that will give you a concise overview of the villages, but maybe I can shed some light. Look at this map: http://www.santorini-web.com/map.pdf

Imerovigli is a mile uphill from Fira, at the highest point overlooking the caldera, thus the view of the caldera AND the sunset from selected hotels as mentioned above. There's not much there but private homes and small boutique hotels, a few small restaurants and shops. It's far enough from the hustle and bustle of Fira that it has earned the reputation for being the most peaceful village over the caldera. For me it's a bit too quiet. I like to be able to get to a bakery in the morning for fresh bread and pastries, or to a bar or restaurant without having to make a huge effort to do so.

Oia is 6 miles north of Imerovigli at the tip of the island. It enjoys a protected status which has kept it from being overdeveloped and limits said development to a particular architectural style that the island is known for. There are lots of excellent hotels, shops, restaurants and galleries there.

Firostephani is between Fira and Imerovigli. You can easily walk between Firostephani and Fira yet stay someplace very peaceful and quiet. Our hotel in Firostephani (Sun Rocks Villas) had lovely sunset and caldera views. It was hard to pull ourselves away from our terrace. The views were stunning.

wanderer1:
I went to Santorini in September 2006 and stayed in Imerovigli at Pegasus Suites. The terrace, the view of the Caldera and the sunsets was fantastic. Very quiet area but within walking distance of Fira. I suggest renting a car. Santorini is very easy to drive, and Oia is about 6 miles north. I had a Superior room and will stay there again when I go back.
Check out its website:
http://www.pegasussuites.com
Try all 3 versions of that site,the HTML version, the Flash version, and the Surround video. The pictures are excellent renditions of the beauty and views.
Also, check out this site that a Greek photographer has. His pictures of Greece and especially the slideshow of Santorini:
www.larios.gr

Marinos

Great sites, thanks!

I would not stay in a studio at Esperas as they are very small and , to me, claustrophobic. These rooms are caves to start so you want something larger.

I have seen your posts and your appreciation of beauty is clear from the things you say about Capri, etc...

Given your other experiences, I think Oia will give you the WOW factor. Esperas area is very quiet even when cruise ships have buses in Oia. We stayed at Fanari which is above Esperas. The view is spectacular and the caves cool. Fanari is even more expensive. However,the place above Fanari, I think it is called Sunset Villas is great. (more reasonable and lovely breakfast patio with views.)

I got the name wrong in Oia...it is Golden Sunset Villas not just Sunset Villas. It is in your price range and it looked great. They have their own website as well.

wherenext -

I happened across these Golden Sunset Villas this weekend - I forget where, and liked the looks of them. The price is not bad, and looks like a great spot.

Anyone care to comment on these? Our pick so far (other than checking this out) is Cheladonia.

Run your choices through the review search function on www.tripadvisor.com. These hotels are all reviewed there.

As I said before, our hotel was just under Golden Sunset. In Fact, from the websites pictures you see the roof of our villa.

When I walked by the staff were always friendly. People enjoyed the sunset views on their private patio which they also had breakfast on. It is in a cool location. One you will always remember. When you see the windmills on travel brochures of Santorini, you will know exactly where your room was next to them!

Have a drink at Fanari Villas in the evening if you can. It is a spectacular place to relax. Many make reservations for dinner there at sunset but we had 3 kids with us and didn't want to ruin the romance for other couples. (although our 7 year old spied on them ) It is pricey and I have no idea how the food was. That's why I recommend a drink:)

I recommend Oia. My wife and I spent our anniversary there last year. We also visited Imerovigli.
We stayed at the Delfini Villas. Quiet and central location. The host/owner (Rena) is a wonderful lady. It was 80 EUR/night for a small double with seaview.